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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. perch — the fish
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. tube — a container
  12. cap — of ice
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. hand — help
  18. tube — the underground
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com